Some of you may know that I’ve had a desire to travel the U.S. to visit our national parks. I think there are about 60 national parks in the U.S. Well, here in Australia there are over 500 national parks covering 28 million hectares. That’s over 69 million acres. We’ve already been to about a dozen national parks in New South Wales (NSW) and we’ve driven through several more. Today, we’re visiting Dorrigo National Park, about a 90-minute drive from Tony and Liz’s.
We drove along a scenic road called the Waterfall Way. It was quite a road, starting out through lovely rolling hills, some along the Bellinger River, and then up into the mountains on a very windy road, and finally onto a mountain plateau. We drove through the town of Bellingen, a very quaint town having many heritage buildings similar to Mudgee and Bathurst. Bellingen is an artsy town with lots of cafes, craft shops and galleries.
We then arrived in the town of Dorrigo which is situated on the Dorrigo Plateau, also known as the Northern Tablelands. It is also a picturesque little town, again with several heritage buildings. We went to the Bistro in the Dorrigo Hotel for lunch. This was a lovely old building that had the large second floor veranda with ironwork railings that we’ve seen in many small towns. The Bistro has won many awards for its great food and we had a very nice lunch.
Photo from a brochure Beautiful iron railings Large 2nd floor veranda covers the sidewalks Nice dining room
Then it was on to Dorrigo National Park to walk out onto the Skyway and walk through the rainforest.

The park is part of the New England Group of the World Heritage Site Gondwana Rainforests of Australia. The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia are the most extensive area of subtropical rainforests in the world. The area protected by the park is recognized for its exceptional natural beauty with significant habitats of outstanding value to science and conservation.
A notable feature of the park is the Skywalk, an elevated walkway through and above the treetops. This allowed us to look down on the forest canopy and then at the end of the Skywalk, there was the most fantastic view of the entire area.



While we were out on the Skywalk we could hear and see an approaching storm from behind us. It skirted the mountain top to the left of us and we could see where it was raining. The wind picked up, too. We were hoping for rain because it was a very hot day, about 95 degrees and very, very muggy. We wanted rain to cool things down, but although threatening, the storm never really got to us.
After enjoying the Skywalk, we did part of a short hike into the rainforest. It was really neat, a totally different world in the rainforest. The vines, trees ferns, tree orchids, and other vegetation was tremendous.
Ferns were attached to every tree Tree fern Lush tree fern foliage Tree orchids Beautiful track through rainforest Palm seeds These palm seeds look like a wreath Track covered by vines A real tangle of vines Vines made interesting shapes
We turned around much sooner than I would have liked, but the weather was still threatening and we feared getting drenched in a downpour. Also, Tony and Liz and told us a story about having taken their kids on the rainforest hike, having it rain, being drenched, and then getting covered in leeches. Ick! And sure enough, there was a sign along the track about leeches, among other icky things.

We departed the park and traveled back down the Waterfall Way towards Coff’s Harbour. I asked Tony to pull over at a stopping place so I could get a photo of one of the waterfalls along Waterfall Way. This waterfall was tall and came down right near the road, passed under the road, and continued its way down to the river far below.
Newell Falls Newell Falls
Where we stopped by the falls also had a pretty spectacular view. You can almost see the ocean in the distance.

Once back in Coff’s Harbour we stopped at Tony and Liz’s daughter Linda’s house. We visited with her for a bit and then we walked along a track at the back of her property that goes along Coff’s Creek.
Christine Linda and Linda Coff’s Creek The gang near the creek
We then toured around the jetty area of Coff’s Harbor and took in the wonderful ocean and marina views when we walked on the jetty for a ways. It was really windy and frequently the surf spray came over the jetty in a fine mist.
Area is called Jetty Foreshores Beach with Muttonbird Island in distance Commercial fishing boats
We arrived home tired and happy after a great day of exploring. This is a beautiful area of Australia and offers everything one could want. I can understand why this part of the country is both a holiday destination and a retirement location. Beaches, mountains and everything in between, all beautiful.